Turkish Army Trying to Link Idlib to Aleppo’s Afrin Region

“Turkey’s army and its allied terrorist groups have cut a large number of trees in Deir Balout village in Afrin’s Jandariseh area to construct a 40-meter-wide road from Atameh village in Idlib to Deir Balout village in Jandariseh,” the Kurdish-language Hawar news quoted sources in Afrin region as saying.

Meantime, it has been reported that the terrorists continue plundering people’s assets and properties as tensions between the Turkish army and its allied forces are still underway.

In a relevant development last week, Ankara-backed militants continued plundering people’s assets in the occupied town of Afrin in Northwestern Aleppo amid a two-day-long infighting between the Turkish troops and militants in the town.

An Ankara-backed militant group known as the National Army is looting civilians’ assets in residential areas and trade centers in the occupied town of Afrin as Turkish army troops and some of their allied militants are exchanging fire with Tajamo’a al-Sharqiyah, another Ankara-backed militant group that has recently been defying orders issued by the Turkish army.

A local source said that people’s assets have been looted in al-Vilat and al-Mahmoudiyah neighborhoods, where infighting in underway.

The source further said that a number of people, including civilians, have been killed and injured in blasts and heavy exchange of fire between the two sides, including a bomb-laden motorcycle explosion in Afrin.

In the meantime, militant-affiliated Zaman al-Wasl news website quoted a well-informed source as disclosing that recent infighting between the Turkish troops and Tajamo’a al-Sharqiyeh is due to old differences between Tajamo’a al-Sharqiyah and Ahrar al-Sharqiyah (another Ankara-backed militant group), adding that Ahrar contributes a major role in the Turkish army attacks on Tajamo’a al-Sharqiyah.

Local sources said earlier today that Mahmoud Azazi, a commander of Ankara-backed Firqa al-Safawah terrorist group, was killed in clashes with rival groups and Turkish troops in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo.

They added that heavy infighting is underway between the Turkish army and its allied militants and Tajamo’a al-Sharqiyah in Mahmoudiyah neighborhood and al-Filat street in the occupied town of Afrin that has thus far inflicted major casualties on both sides.

Mahmoud Azazi nom de guerre Abu Nawarah, a notorious commander of Firqa al-Safawah affiliated to Turkish troops, has been killed in the infighting.

Turkish army tanks and military vehicles have entered the battlefield and the Turkish artillery units are pounding the positions of Tajamo’a al-Sharqiyah in Afrin.

At least 25 militant have been killed and tens more have been wounded in the infighting that has been unprecedented in the last 8 months.

In the meantime, militant-affiliated sources said that Deputy Commander of Jeish al-Sharqiyah Abu Abdullah al-Masrab has declared its affiliation to Tajamo’a al-Sahrqiyah, condemning attacks by the Turkish troops and allied militants.

The sources further said that Firqa al-Hamzah and Sultan Murad terrorist groups, both affiliated to Turkish army, have dispatched their fighters from Bolbol and Hawar Kilis regions near the town of Azaz to Afrin region.